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The Lost OP Wiki: Revo - GPS Setup
= Revo - GPS Setup = The addition of a GPS enables the Revolution controller to accurately determine it's position is space. However, use of the autonomous light features requires more advanced knowledge and is covered in detail in other sections of this guide. This section covers only basic installation and set-up of a GPS device. = Mounting the GPS = When mounting your GPS device on the multicopter, care should be taken to ensure it will have an unobstructed view of the sky and instaled away from sources of electrical interference. = Configuring the GPS = For best performance, the use of a u-blox based GPS receiver and the UBX protocol are advised. The OpenPilot v9 GPS device has been preconfigured to use the correct baud rate and protocol so this section can be skipped if you are using one. All other GPS devices will need to be configured as follows: * The GPS serial communication speed must be set to 57600 bits-per-second. * The supported protocol must be UBX or NEMA. The use of the UBX protocol will allow the Revolution to automatically set the necessary parameters within the device. = Connecting the GPS device to the Controller = Connect the GPS device to the Main Port or Flexi Port on the Revolution. For an OpenPilot GPS this is as simple as connecting it using the supplied cable, but for a variety of reasons it may be necessary to make your own. Making a Custom GPS Cable You can typically make a cable by using bits of pre-made cables from each device; otherwise, you’ll need connectors and special tools. The diagram below shows the connection details. Note that the RX and TX wires are reversed between the devices; talker and listener in a bidirectional communication. The connector used on the flight controller is the JST SH type. It is necessary to connect both TX and RX on both devices in order to take advantage of the auto configuration capability of releases 14.10 onward. = Configuring GCS = # Start the OpenPilot GCS and connect your board via a USB cable to your computer. # Under the Hardware Settings tab on the Configuration page you should see your board. # Select the GPS option for the port to which the GPS is connected and set the port Speed to 57600, and protocol accordingly (preferably UBX) . # Click Save. A green check mark will indicate that the settings have been successfully saved. Verifying Proper Operation The controller needs to be fully powered by a battery, not just USB, in order for the GPS to work. # Start the OpenPilot GCS and connect your board via USB to your computer. # Most GPS devices have some sort of visual indication in the form of an LED that flashes when the device has acquired a GPS fix. Sometimes it is difficult to obtain a fix when indoors so the LED may only flash after an extended period, or even only when outdoors. # To verify the serial data connection between the Revolution and the GPS device one can view information regarding its status on the System tab under the Flight GPS gadget. Even before a fix is acquired you should be able to see activity there. One of the first pieces of information to be displayed is the time. Note, the time displayed is GMT and will most likely differ from your local time. The fact that the time is updated means the serial cable is working. VTOL vehicle and custom mixes Vehicle frame type changes to Custom when a custom mix (eg. adding a buzzer) is done. Usually this doesn't matter, but for autonomous features a custom frame is treated as a fixed wing by default and algorithms used for autonomous features differs significantly from the VTOL vehicles. The easiest way to check what the current frame type is the Info Panel at Flight Data page. How to fix this Method 1: After making custom mixers on vehicle page, save changes, and then go to same page again, but this time click the Multirotor tab instead of the custom tab, and click Save again. The vehicle type is now back at VTOL. Method 2: On System tab, change Settings > VtolPathFollowerSettings > TreatCustomCraftAs from FixedWing to VTOL Save settings. = Setting Home Location = Unless one is going to use the GPS assisted flight features of the Revolution, it is not essential that the Home location be configured at this stage. Should you choose to do it now then follow the steps detailed in the Revo - Setting Home Location page .